Single Saturdays: March 30, 2024

Single Saturdays is Five Cent Sound’s weekly roundup, where our staff members share a song that they’ve fallen in love with and make their case for why others should give it a listen.

“Amaranth” by Nightwish

by Emilia McAthie

In my quest to find new music, I often turn towards the subcategories of my favorite genres. And this is precisely how I came to find the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. A quick listen to any song from their discography reveals the band’s dedication to combining the graveliness of heavy metal with the instrumentation of a grand orchestra. Although metal and classical seem like incompatible genres, the two blend seamlessly to create an intensely atmospheric experience, almost like Phantom of the Opera on steroids.

The band, which formed in the summer of 1996, has had a few different lead vocalists over the years. From 2007 to 2012, the band was fronted by Swedish singer Anette Olzon, and it was early in her run that the band released “Amaranth.” This track is one of, if not the most, popular singles Nightwish has released over the past three decades. Rich with guitar riffs, “Amaranth” is musically powerful and couples beautifully with Olzon’s vocals. It’s much easier with this track to hear the metal component of the subgenre, particularly due to Olzon’s voice being more suited to that style instead of opera. But still, the vastness of the sound feels unlike any metal song I’ve ever heard.

Personally, I’ve never been one who pays much attention to the lyrics of a song. Most of my enjoyment comes from the beat and instruments, which is primarily what drew me to symphonic metal in the first place. Of course, the lyrics are beautifully sung and meaningful, but this subgenre is clearly defined by its meshing of two distinctly different styles. Listening to symphonic metal is truly an otherworldly experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking to expand their music taste.

“Obsessed” by Olivia Rodrigo

by Emily Zeitz

I’m obsessed with “Obsessed!” Around one week ago, Olivia Rodrigo released the extended version of her newest album, titled Guts (Spilled). Of the five new tracks it included, “Obsessed” was my favorite, and I’ve been listening to it all week! It was already on my radar after a friend showed me a leaked version around two weeks before the extended album dropped. After finally being able to add the real song to my playlist, I can confidently recommend that you also add it to yours! I’ve always been a big fan of Olivia’s more upbeat rock hits, and this is just the newest in an addictive stream of bangers from her. Make sure to check out “Obsessed” here, and all of Olivia’s new releases anywhere you can stream music!

“Saturn” by SZA

by Shell Garcia

According to astrologer Aliza Kelly, A Saturn Return (i.e., the duration of Saturn’s orbit around the sun) happens approximately every 29.5 years, meaning Saturn will be in the same spot as when you were born when you turn 29, lasting roughly 3 years. Since SZA turned 34 in November, this means she just completed her first Saturn Return. This has been referred to as an astrological coming of age because of Saturn’s associations with time, responsibility, and wisdom. This is the time to reflect and assert who you are, what your legacy is, and what you're here to leave for the world.

These are intimidating questions to consider regardless of your age. As many of us move into the last chapter of our school careers and out into the world, these questions can be paralyzing. SZA’s new single Saturn offers enlightenment as she sings about the complexities that we have and are capable of. 

SZA’s lyrics represent finding the balance of facing the reality of each day, while staying mindful. This song has encouraged me to remember that there is always something more and we must move forward to find it. To learn from our past and prepare ourselves for the future we hope for, we must make the present worth all that it is. 

“Ooh (Ooh, ooh)

Life's better on Saturn

Got to break this pattern

Of floating away

Ooh (Ooh, ooh)

Find something worth saving

It's all for the taking

I always say”

“Up Out My Face” by Mariah Carey

By Mikey Artuso

“Up Out My Face” is a sassy and empowering pop-R&B anthem from Mariah’s Carey’s twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, released in 2009. It follows the songstress leaving behind a past relationship with confidence and dignity. She does not want to interact with this person anymore, continuously insisting that they get “up out [her] face.” This has always been one of my favorite songs by Carey because of how fun and humorous it is, so seeing it experience a resurgence on TikTok over the past two weeks has been cool to watch! Its campy lyricism lends itself well to the app’s nature. Carey ensures listeners she is done with this relationship by asserting, “If we were two Lego blocks / even the Harvard University / Graduating class of 2010 / couldn't put us back together again.” 

“Up Out My Face” is not the only track from this album that has blown up on TikTok. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel has also spawned the viral hits “Obsessed” and “It’s A Wrap.” I find it fascinating how an album from 15 years ago has found itself translating so well to the trends of a modern social media app. 

In the music industry, Carey has certainly gotten her flowers for being one of the strongest vocalists of all time. However, many tend to sleep on her pen game! She has written 18 out of 19 of her number one hits and is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I am glad that the memes surrounding “Up Out My Face” are not only allowing members of Gen Z to see how versatile of a songwriter Carey is, but also that she is also more than just the “Queen of Christmas.” 

“Warm Foothills” by Alt-J

By Anastasia Petridis

Regularly making its way into my rotation every couple of months, “Warm Foothills” by alt-J is a saccharine song about going down on someone with a heavy reference to the memoir “Elegy for Iris” by John Bayley. However, those two things are not abundantly clear on the first listen, and not what continues to draw me in season after season. What I love about this song is that it incorporates many voices separately. Instead of layering the myriad of voices in a melodic mix, the phrases are split up between five singers. 

“Iris swims quietly beside me

Oh, the weeds and larger leaves sway

And stretch themselves beneath

Blue dragonflies dart to and fro

I tie my life to your balloon and let it go”

Accompanied by a soft track of quiet vocalizing and whistles, gentle guitar, and whimsical synth, this song feels like a warm hug shared by a group of friends. It paints a beautiful picture of intimate moments and emphasizes the importance of the small interactions we share. To me, this song is the epitome of summers spent with friends swimming in lakes and stumbling around the woods looking for the best place to set-up a hammock. It reminds me to pay attention to love, happiness, magic, and all of the other good adjectives.